EMEA

What still seems to be missing from the criteria is any assessment of the evidence of how well a product works and to what extent, says Prof Sam Shah, chief medical strategy officer, Numan.

Germany will soon be embarking on a national project to assess the digital maturity of its 2,000 hospitals. If it focuses on understanding the impact on clinicians and patients, it can catch up with the world’s digital health leaders, says Armin Scheuer, VP international business development, HIMSS. 

We are witnessing a race in the vaccine rollout. A race towards the light at the end of a tunnel and a race which will likely define the next few years, according to Dr Charles Alessi, chief clinical officer at HIMSS. 

The right to health, not just the access to healthcare, requires a holistic understanding of how we can provide a better quality of life and wellbeing for the individual and society, argues Bogi Eliasen, director of health at the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies and a member of the HIMSS Future50 Community.

For many of us, 2021 feels a lot like 2020 with lockdowns imposed and hospital pressures increasing. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel with several vaccines now being rolled out globally, says Dr Saif Abed, founding partner, AbedGraham.

The politicians of the UK and the European Union have finally reached their post-Brexit trade agreement. A word that we heard on every news update was sovereignty, quickly followed by the debate about the cost of such independence, according to Nick Hopkinson, a CIO and Principal Associate with Ethical Healthcare Consulting, UK.

We start 2021 with hope and well-founded optimism, despite the ravages of the pandemic, reflects Dr Charles Alessi, chief clinical officer at HIMSS. 

The pace of change will never be so slow again, according to Layla McKay, director of International Relations at NHS Confederation.

As Black History Month comes to close, will this mean that the achievements and contribution of Black people in the UK and the need to take action will be packed away for another year, asks Dr Shera Chok, co-founder of the Shuri Network.

As we have heard repeatedly over the past few months, there is a need to think of managing this pandemic in the same way we prepare for a marathon rather than a sprint, says Dr Charles Alessi, chief clinical officer, HIMSS.